[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 12, Volume 3]
[Revised as of January 1, 2003]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 12CFR261.12]

[Page 702-703]
 
                       TITLE 12--BANKS AND BANKING
 
                   CHAPTER II--FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM
 
PART 261--RULES REGARDING AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION--Table of Contents
 
   Subpart B--Published Information and Records Available to Public; 
                         Procedures for Requests
 
Sec. 261.12  Records available to public upon request.

    (a) Types of records made available. All records of the Board that 
are not available under Secs. 261.10 and 261.11 shall be made available 
upon request, pursuant to the procedures and exceptions in this Subpart 
B.
    (b) Procedures for requesting records. (1) A request for 
identifiable records shall reasonably describe the records in a way that 
enables the Board's staff to identify and produce the records with 
reasonable effort and without unduly burdening or significantly 
interfering with any of the Board's operations.
    (2) The request shall be submitted in writing to the Freedom of 
Information Office, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, 
20th & C Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20551; or sent by facsimile to 
the Freedom of Information Office, (202) 872-7562 or 7565. The request 
shall be clearly marked FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT REQUEST.
    (3) A request may not be combined with any other request to the 
Board except for a request under 12 CFR 261a.3(a) (Rules Regarding 
Access to and Review of Personal Information under the Privacy Act of 
1974) and a request made under Sec. 261.22(b).
    (c) Contents of request. The request shall contain the following 
information:
    (1) The name and address of the requester, and the telephone number 
at which the requester can be reached during normal business hours;
    (2) Whether the requested information is intended for commercial 
use, and whether the requester is an educational or noncommercial 
scientific institution, or news media representative;
    (3) A statement agreeing to pay the applicable fees, or a statement 
identifying any desired fee limitation, or a request for a waiver or 
reduction of fees that satisfies Sec. 261.17(f); and
    (4) If the request is being made in connection with on-going 
litigation, a statement indicating whether the requester will seek 
discretionary release of exempt information from the General Counsel 
upon denial of the request by the Secretary. A requester who intends to 
make such a request to the General Counsel may also address the factors 
set forth in Sec. 261.22(b).
    (d) Defective requests. The Board need not accept or process a 
request that does not reasonably describe the records requested or that 
does not otherwise comply with the requirements of this section. The 
Board may return a defective request, specifying the deficiency. The 
requester may submit a corrected request, which will be treated as a new 
request.

[[Page 703]]

    (e) Oral requests. The Freedom of Information Office may honor an 
oral request for records, but if the requester is dissatisfied with the 
Board's response and wishes to seek review, the requester must submit a 
written request, which shall be treated as an initial request.

[62 FR 54362, Oct. 20, 1997; 62 FR 62508, Nov. 24, 1997]